Prose

Michal Viewegh’s new book takes its name from the last of its thirteen stories. The author exposes Oskar, his favourite character, to critical moments in his life, taking in monotony and infidelity in marriage and bringing him to the brink of death. Although the ageing hero survives, he is caught in a whirlpool of serious consequences that include divorce and the subversion of what he once took for granted. Not only do these tales again display the readability and momentum of Viewegh’s storytelling, they showcase other qualities, too—including irony, melancholy in the grotesque and, in places, a gift of hyperbole that surprises. To put it simply, the Czech Republic’s most popular writer is back in the game!